FDA cites claims on 2 green-tea beverages

WASHINGTON (AP) ---- Federal health regulators have issued
warnings to the makers of Canada Dry ginger ale and Lipton tea for
making unsubstantiated nutritional claims about their green
tea-flavored beverages.

In a warning letter issued Aug. 30, the Food and Drug
Administration takes issue with the labeling of Canada Dry
Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale. The agency issued a similar letter
Aug. 23 to Unilever Inc., over website and product labeling for its
Lipton Green Tea.

Food processors increasingly have been adding vitamins and
nutrients to their products to make them more appealing to
health-conscious consumers. But the FDA letter to Dr. Pepper
Snapple Group, which makes Canada Dry, states that the agency "does
not consider it appropriate to fortify snack foods such as
carbonated beverages." Furthermore, the agency states that the soft
drink does not meet federal requirements to carry the claim that
the drink is "enhanced with 200 mg of antioxidants from green tea
and vitamin C." According to FDA regulations, the ingredients in
Canada Dry's product "are not nutrients with recognized antioxidant
activity."

The FDA letter to Unilever takes issue with a company website
that mentions four studies that showed a cholesterol-lowering
effect with tea. According to the agency, the labeling is
misleading because it suggests Lipton tea is designed to treat or
prevent disease. The agency also cites antioxidant labeling claims
on the company's Lipton Green Tea, which do not follow federal
guidelines.

The agency asks executives from both companies to respond to the
citations within 15 days and to outline their plans for addressing
the problems.

A spokesman for Plano, Texas-based Dr. Pepper Snapple Group said
in a statement the company looks "forward to working with the FDA
and addressing the issues raised."

Unilever issued a similar response. The company's U.S.
operations are in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based, with headquarters
in London and Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Once a niche market, nutrient-enriched beverages have grown into
a multibillion dollar business that includes everything from
calcium-enhanced orange juice to energy drinks containing ginseng,
ginkgo and other organic products.

In recent years, the FDA has begun cracking down on food
companies that overstate the benefits of their products.

The FDA generally endorses health claims on foods only after
government researchers have verified that the products help prevent
actual disease. Food containing oats, for example, can carry the
FDA-approved claim, "may reduce risk of heart disease."

The FDA regularly issues warning letters to companies that do
not follow regulations for manufacturing and marketing. The letters
are not legally binding, but the agency can take companies to court
if they are ignored.